I was on Netflix and I saw the following video by Jamie Oliver. In it it he presents some fairly sobering statistics on obesity in the United States.

I like it because he wasn’t afraid to name the owners of the problem, the corporations that push all this processed crap on us.

In a prior post I mentioned the grand opening of Fertile Underground. The store is six tenths of a mile from where I live.

We picked up a few items two of which we’ve now tried. The Kielbasa is excellent, and the Great Harvest bread is fantastic too. And the free range eggs are great. The best part is all of it is local, the bread and eggs are produced in North Kingstown and Johnston. I will say it isn’t inexpensive to buy local goods, but the goods are higher quality and the benefits go back into the state where I live so it’s a win.

But I have also changed the way we eat over the last decade or so. More fresh produce like broccoli, spinach, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, peppers, zucchini carrots and tomatoes are worked into the diet.Also use things like lentils and other beans as well as growing my own herbs such as basil, tarragon, rosemary, thyme, and oregano. I like exploring new ingredients and different ways to prepare things.

Take the boneless pork loin chop. You can brine it then sear and bake at 400F for 10 or so minutes and have dynamite chops. You can sautee it just season it with salt and pepper, perhaps a little cayenne, or then there is my favorite dish, pork chops with sour cream and dill sauce. That is absolutely delicious.

And the thing is, I don’t shop in just one place. Food comes from three market places within a mile radius.

One of the place I love is the meat market. I can get meats cut to my requirements instead of meat that’s in a plastic wrapped tray and is either too thin or too thick. You can get bacon either fatty or lean, and pretty much every part of the cow, pig, lamb, etc. I found out my favorite steaks are ribeye and top sirloin.

Part of the problem is people don’t have any natural curiosity to go out and explore. If you’re in a city, get out of the car and walk about. You’ll find lots of cool places. City or suburb, the web is your best resource from locating stores that carry the ingredients you want for a dish, to recipes.

You can have a healthier diet. Another bit of advice, buy some food storage containers in 1qt and little bit lower range. Take leftovers for lunch. It is not only better for you, but cheaper in the long run.

41.820405-71.429990

search

About...

Just your garden variety geek who feels the need to vent about something every now and then. Most of the ventings are about politics and civil justice and equality.